Review of Sirdar Knitting Pattern 9135

My Reason for Buying

This was an impulse buy but a great one. I wanted to knit legwarmers and this pattern looked doable for a new knitter like me. There is an added bonus that the pattern has a sock patter that I can knit on two needles not 4. So in time I’ll try that too.

I tell you this as often a review is based on how well the book lived up to the expectations of its reader, for their purpose ;)

Contents

This pattern has three designs on it in, sizes for children as well as adults. There are also instructions for how to adapt the pattern for different sizes.

Leg warmers

Socks

Gloves

Pros/Cons

Pros

This is a great pattern for newbie knitters! My late Mother taught me to knit when I was little, and although years ago I did knit a jumper (and never wore it). I haven’t knitted since. People always say if you can do knit stitch and pearl stitch you can knit anything as all other stitches are combinations of that. Well although that’s true there are a lot of patterns too hard for newbies, but this one is GREAT.

I have knitted the leg warmers, and although I had to check out how to do a couple of stitches for increasing and decreasing when it got to the change between rib to pearl other wise I got on just fine. The gloves look like they would be equally achievable for a newbie, but I haven’t tried those yet.

There are sizes for men on the socks and sizes for children and adults on the gloves and legwarmer patterns.

I’ll be honest and say the socks are beyond me at the moment, but I reckon that is a case of sitting down and just working it out. I always re write patterns in long hand, K1P1 gets written out to knit one purl one and so on. It’s so much easier when you are new to do that. I understand why the makers write it in the condensed format and they fully explain what their abbreviations mean.

This particular pattern has text that is a quite a good size too, not as small a print as is often available. Which is very useful. :)

Cons

Not got any

Value for Money

Excellent, I have paid much more than this for a single design on Etsy and on this pattern you get three and all in multiple sizes. Great value for money and the garments all take so little wool they make very affordable makes.

Would I buy it Again?

Yes! I’ve recommended this pattern to everyone who will listen. Any of these garments would make lovely gifts and you could also make them as a matching set if you choose.

Summing up

This is the only the second ‘real’ knitting pattern I’ve bought and I’m very impressed. Etsy is great for one of a kind knits and you get back up from the authors but it can be an expensive way to buy patterns. I was very impressed with the price point at under £3, I’d be paying more than that for a magazine on knitting just to get a single pattern I like.

Although my dexterity issues mean knitting is something I can only do for very short periods of time, when I sit and knit it is as relaxing as people say and really calms me down :) Personally I’m a summer knitter as the light is better. The knitted gloves I’ve made people for Christmas 2010 went down well and it has encouraged me to create more handmade gifts in the future.

Knitting patterns have sure moved on from the ones my Mum used to use, there are lots of fun, funky modern designs to suit all ages. It is very satisfying to take time to create something for friends and family as you think about the person you are making for and how they might use something as you go along. These knits will make lovely gifts and if you start early you take the pressure of Christmas. MUCH better than a mad rush round the shops for the same old stuff that has always been around, just in different packaging.

Take the Handmade Pledge and create something with love. Time is the one gift that no one can buy and really makes the person feel special. Far better than the commercial stuff really!

Links

Here are links to the manufacturers and the pattern details.

Sirdar Sirdar Yarn manufacturers. Although they don’t sell direct from the site, there is a store locator on there.

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5 Responses

Thanks for the information on the pattern Billie. Funnily enough I was working outside and didn’t want to put my wellies on but work in my walking boots which are much more cormfortable and wished I had a pair of legwarmers :)
You never know I just might sort out those needles and get knitting again – it has been some years since I last did any.

I was always knitting gloves for the children and I once knitted a sweater for my DH in cream Aran type wool. What did I find him doing one day? Only changing the oil on the vehicle whilst wearing that cream sweater :)
I was shopping in Lidl’s on Monday and saw a huge ball of wool for around £3, it was a multi coloured wool and I thought that was a good price. I might buy it yet :)

Go on, go for it :) I paid about £10 for one pair of leg warmers at Christmas when it was so cold then bought this pattern. I needed 1.5 balls of wool for a pair, the yarn needed is DK and you can get 100g of DK for about £3. The Sirdar one listed in the pattern cost me £3 per 50g ball and I made 2 pairs of legwarmers from 3 balls of yarn :)

Bet Dh was in the dog house for a long time after that car incident! I would have been devistated too. It must have taken months or more to knit a jumper.

There are so many free patterns around at the moment, check out the Yarn tab, where I’ve linked out to some. Knitty has some great designs to download and print off.

[…] like to share a picture of the wrist warmers I knitted for Christmas for my MIL. The pattern was Sirdar Knitting Pattern 9135 I knitted a short version as an alternative to regular gloves as my MIL uses a stick and finds […]

The pattern is quite simple so would be easy to modify if you needed a smaller or larger sizing. Try knitting about 5 rows in the rib and measuring it around your leg, you could then start over with more or fewer stitches as needed.

They are a similar size to shop bought legwarmers but your knitting tension and choice of yarn will affect the finished size too. I found one the first pair I made really big but by increasing my tension the next pair were fine.

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